In Freedom's Cause : a Story of Wallace and Bruce eBook

As the old man had predicted, their sport was but
small, but this concerned them little. Thinking
that they might be watched, they continued steadily
all the afternoon casting and drawing in the nets,
until the sun neared the horizon. Then they gathered
the nets into the boat and rowed quietly towards the
shore. Just as they were abreast the end of the
promontory the bell of the chapel began to ring the
vespers. A few more strokes and Archie could
see the clump of bushes.

“Row quietly now,” he said, still steering
toward the village.

He was about a hundred yards distant from the shore
of the convent garden. Just as he came abreast
of the bushes the foliage was parted and Marjory appeared
at the edge of the water. In an instant the boat’s
head was turned toward shore, and the three rowers
bent to the oars.

A shout from the watchman on the turret showed that
he had been watching the boat and that this sudden
change of its course had excited his alarm. The
shout was repeated again and again as the boat neared
the shore, and just as the keel grated on the sand
the outer gate was opened and some armed men were
seen running into the garden, but they were still
two hundred yards away. Marjory leapt lightly
into the boat; the men pushed off, and before the retainers
of the convent reached the spot the boat was speeding
away over the lake. Archie gave up to Marjory
his seat in the stern, and himself took an oar.

Loch Leven, though of considerable length, is narrow,
and the boat was nearly a third of the way across
it before two or three craft were seen putting out
from the village in pursuit, and although these gained
somewhat, the fugitives reached the other shore a long
distance in advance. William Orr and his men were
at the landing place, and soon the whole party were
hurrying through the wood. They had no fear of
instant pursuit, for even in the fast gathering gloom
those in the boats would have perceived the accession
of force which they had received on landing, and would
not venture to follow. But before morning the
news of the evasion would spread far and wide, and
there would be a hot pursuit among the mountains.

Scarce a word had been spoken in the boat. Marjory
was pale and agitated, and Archie thought it best
to leave her to herself. On the way through the
wood he kept beside her, assisting her over rough
places, and occasionally saying a few encouraging words.
When darkness had completely set in three or four
torches were lit, and they continued their way until
midnight. Several times Archie had proposed a
halt, but Marjory insisted that she was perfectly able
to continue her way for some time longer.

At midnight, however, he halted.

“We will stop here,” he said. “My
men have been marching ever since daybreak, and tomorrow
we must journey fast and far. I propose that
we keep due east for some time and then along by Loch
Rannoch, then across the Grampians by the pass of
Killiecrankie, when we can make down to Perth, and
so to Stirling. The news of your escape will
fly fast to the south, and the tracks to Tarbert and
the Clyde will all be watched; but if we start at
daybreak we shall be far on our way east before they
begin to search the hills here; and even if they think
of our making in this direction, we shall be at Killiecrankie
before they can cut us off.”